Looking for a Sub Around $500

[speakerman39]

Well.....you have had all 3 then.....what did you like the most and why?

Also drawbacks/downsides to each one would be great!!!

Well, the one I liked the most is the Hsu VTF-3.3. Unfortunately at the time I owned it, my roof started leaking badly. I was concerned my gear would get ruined. As such, I sold it all and started over. I also have moved since then.

The 3.3 was very articulate. Just loved the tight, punchy sound it had. There also was a lot of distinctness in the transient response. Keep in mind, that I ran the 3.3 in Max Output mode meaning no ports plugged. When listening to music, the 3.3 was spectacular to say the least.

The PB10-NSD was to my surprise very good! I especially liked the pitch or tone quality of the driver. It is still hard for me to believe that the PB10 is only a 10" sub. It sure sounded much bigger. When watching movies, the PB10 was very good.

The PB12-NSD was very impressive. It more or less does EVERYTHING the PB10 does, but just gives you more of it. When watching movies, the PB12 would knock your socks off so to speak. The PB10 is no slouch in that area as well. However, the PB10 did seem to be a bit better with music. Down real deep, the PB12 was noticeably better in that it had more energy.

The Pluses so far have been very good. That is, they both sound great with music AND hit hard when watching a movie. I am happy with them. No complaints here. Once again, I only run my Pluses in Max Output mode albeit no ports plugged.

In short, as I eluded to earlier, you will be hard pressed to go wrong with ANY of them. For music applications, I believe the 3.3 was the best. Likewise, for HT the PB12 flat out kicked butt. Keep in mind, I only ran the 3.3 in Max Output mode and NOT Max Extension mode. Not sure how much of a difference that would had made. My guess is, it may have been very close between the two.

I hope this helps. Good luck in your decision. I applaud you for ascertaining as much info as possible as a means to make a well informed decision. Kudos to you for that.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[krzywica]

Thanks for your valuable input speakerman, you really have been infinitely helpful in making my decision a lot easier. I think I am going to go with the VTF 2.3 as my room is not very large at all and it is just a tiny bit over budget with shipping if I get the finish that I want.

I will post back in a few weeks with a little recap, some pictures, and my satisfaction level, which is sure to be high.


Again thanks everyone for your valuable input.

 

[speakerman39]

Thanks for your valuable input speakerman, you really have been infinitely helpful in making my decision a lot easier. I think I am going to go with the VTF 2.3 as my room is not very large at all and it is just a tiny bit over budget with shipping if I get the finish that I want.

I will post back in a few weeks with a little recap, some pictures, and my satisfaction level, which is sure to be high.


Again thanks everyone for your valuable input.

Hey, glad I could be of some assistance. Congrats on your decision! Looking forward to your initial impressions. Oh, the pics will also be a nice touch.

Cheers,

Phil